Antennas are devices that are configured to transmit and/or receive electromagnetic (EM) radiations of predefined frequencies. The transmitted or the received EM radiations carry data for the purpose of wireless communication of data from one place to another. The antennas are coupled with a suitable transceiver which feeds electrical signals, coded with the data, which are converted by the antenna to EM radiations for transmission, and conversely, converts EM radiations that are received by the antenna, into electrical signals.
Microstrip antennas, also known as patch antennas, are a certain type of antennas that are known for transmission and reception of EM radiations in a radio frequency (RF) range. A typical microstrip antenna includes a dielectric substrate in the form of a slab, having a metallic microstrip patch on one surface and a metallic ground layer on the other. While operating in a transmission mode, the microstrip antenna is fed with electrical signals, through an RF transceiver, based on which the metallic microstrip patch radiates EM radiations of a predetermined RF. In a receiving mode, the metallic microstrip patch of the microstrip antenna receives the EM radiations of the predefined RF, based on which electrical signals are produced in the microstrip antenna and are supplied to the RF transceiver.
Microstrip antennas are popular for their use in wireless communication devices, such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants, portable computers as they possess numerous advantages, like compact size, light weight, planar structure, conformal, compatible for embedded antennas, integrable with integrated circuits and low manufacturing cost.